Yes. At Hospital Sant Pau we are prepared both professionally and technically to offer you the possibility of having a natural birth as long as the circumstances allow it. You simply have to express this preference in your Birth Plan or communicate it when you arrive into hospital and the professionals on our team will provide you with all the necessary tools.

The Birth Plan is a document where you can express your preferences for the birth. It will serve as a communication tool with the professionals looking after you that day. You can download it here or you can request it at any of your hospital appointments, and you need to have it with you on the day you go into labour.

Yes. In fact it is recommended.

Continuous support during labour has been associated with a better experience. Having the support of a person whom you trust can help you to feel less anxious and scared and reduce the need to take pharmacological treatments to relieve pain.

However, in order to create the calm, intimate space labour requires and to respect your privacy, it is recommended that you be accompanied by one person. However, if you wish to have two companions, please discuss it with our team.

Usually the due date is calculated based on the date of your last period. You add 40 weeks to that date and you will have an estimated due date.

Once your pregnancy has been confirmed, the exact due date will be calculated based on the first ultrasound. It is important to bear in mind that the date can always move forward or be delayed by several days.

• When your contractions are regular and increasing in intensity, every 3 or 5 minutes for at least 2 hours or, if it is not your first labour, every 5 minutes for 1 hour.

• If your waters break and they are transparent, you can wait at home until your contractions start (maximum 12 hours). If the waters are not transparent or you have any doubts, come to the hospital.

• If you have abundant vaginal bleeding.

• If you cannot feel the baby moving.

• A strong headache that does not subside with analgesia, changes in your vision such as flashes of light, buzzing in the ears, accompanied by swelling of the feet and legs, and an intense pain in your abdomen.

• Intense generalised itching or itching on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.

It is important to bear in mind that every labour is different, and that is why it is very complicated to establish a determined length.

In general, it is considered that a labour lasts approximately 5 hours, during which there are three stages: dilation, expulsion and placental. But trying to calculate the duration of labour would be completely inaccurate as it will depend on the woman, her morphology, the position of the baby and whether or not it is her first labour.

If your labour was low risk and both you and your baby are well, you will be discharged at 12-24 hours. In that case the ASSIR midwife will do a home visit within 24-72 hours. If it was a high-risk pregnancy or a complicated labour you will be discharged within 24-48 hours. If it was a caesarean birth you will be discharged after 48 hours. Discharge will be assessed on an individual basis, taking into consideration both the wellbeing of the mother and baby, and whether or not breastfeeding has been established.

For you: nightdress, non-wired bras, underwear (2 per day), hygiene products, postnatal sanitary pads, slippers and flip-flops.

For your baby: two changes per day, new-born hat and socks, blanket, bibs, nappies and hygiene products.

From 7am to 10 pm, you can enter the hospital through the lobby on Carrer Sant Quintí, 89. You need to go to Block A, Floor -1. Staff at the information point in the main lobby will direct you there.

From 10 pm to 7am, access via General Emergencies, Carrer Sant Quintí, 87.

During the time you are in the delivery room and the maternity ward, the team of professionals that will be looking after you (midwives, nurses and nursing assistants) are specialised in breastfeeding support. Once you have been discharged you can attend breastfeeding support groups, such as the one in CAP Maragall or your local ASSIR. Since breastfeeding support is a priority, you can also request an individual appointment with your midwife. Some complications that can appear in the first few days should be consulted immediately, such as cracked nipples or engorged breasts.

In addition, you also have access to other support groups during the postnatal period to solve doubts that can arise in the first weeks, such as the Parenting Group and the Postnatal Group.

Some weeks prior to your expected due date you will have a prenatal and welcome appointment in the hospital where the midwife will provide you with important information about the day you go into labour, such as when you need to come in, where you need to go and what documentation you need to bring, among other information, and answer any doubts you might have. It is also the perfect time to ask questions about the Birth Plan.